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Wednesday, 31 January 2018

Georgina Wisby shares her "Inspiring Journey" plans
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Georgina Wisby explains how she will be using her £5000 from winning the David Henderson Inspiring Journey Grant to explore new technologies, the effective management of coastal infrastructure and sustaining marine resources across the Pacific Islands in relation to sea level rise.

WHY AM I GOING?The Pacific Islands cover 0.4% of the largest ocean basin on Earth, spanning 77,018 km of coastline and are inhabited by 2.1 million people. The islands themselves are one of the most vulnerable and at-risk regions from future sea level rise. The present-day land elevation of the islands rarely exceeds 5 m above the current mean sea level. Any changes in sea level, either rising or falling, has the potential to cause a coastal retreat, flooding and impact dramatically on food production and fisheries.

In order for the Pacific Islands communities to be able to strive and survive in the future, there will need to be additional adaptation processes, which will likely rely heavily on scientific and technological developments. These technologies can be developed and exploited more effectively if there is a greater understanding of how these communities’ needs are being impacted by rising sea levels. Critically, it is not simply the technological developments that will be needed, the effective management of coastal infrastructure and sustaining marine resources will be paramount to sustaining the Pacific Islands.